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"Showdown! Musashibō Benkei!" (Taiketsu! Musashibō Benkei!)
Production company	TakaraTomy
Airdate	November 1,2013
Writer	Unknown
Director	Megumi Yamamoto

Isami and the Samurai Team pursue another legendisc to the past. There they meet Musashibō Benkei, encounter a dangerous new Predacon ability, and learn about persistence. Back in the present, a new enemy appears.

Synopsis

Gaidora andJudora are speculating on how long it will takeDragotron to revive when he begins to glow. Some of the energy jumps to nearby Gaidora, who declares that Dragotron will reawaken soon.

Meanwhile,Isami complains toKenzan about theSamurai Team's continued failure to retrieve thelegendiscs and wonders if he's not up to the task. Kenzan scolds him, saying that failure is never a good reason to give up. Just then, Isami's legendisc begins to glow - it's detected another time slip point! The Samurai Team gathers at the Yokohama Bay Bridge, and is pulled into the past.

Unlike previous occasions, Isami is separated from the group in the transport and appears alone on a bridge. A giant man appears out of the fog, demanding that he leave his greatest treasure and go. Isami refuses to abandon the legendisc, and the man attacks. Despite being severely outmatched in strength, Isami defeats the man by getting in a lucky strike on the shin. The man then identifies himself asMusashibō Benkei, and tells Isami that he has been searching for a legendary savior who will save the world and bring peace to its people. Believing that only a man who can defeat an unbeatable warrior like him in battle could possibly be that savior, he has fought and won countless duels. Since Isami has defeated him, he believes Isami is the savior and pledges his life to Isami. Isami realizes that he's been mistaken for something he's not, and asks Benkei what he would do if he found out Isami weren't the savior he was looking for. Benkei responds that even then he wouldn't give up, since no matter how many times you fail there's still a chance if you don't give up.

Yet again, Transformers displays a frightening disregard forscale.

Just then, the Samurai Team arrives. Kenzan asks Isami if he's found the legendisc. Seeing Isami's disc Benkei reveals that he has one just like it, and that it's what's made him into an unbeatable warrior. Seeing the discs out in the open, thePredacons reveal themselves and try to take the discs, summoningJaki to fight the Samurai Team. Kenzan and the others easily defeat the Jaki, and Gaidora takes the opportunity to show them the new ability he's gained from Dragotron. Calling the Jaki to himself, he absorbs their bodies and grows to gigantic size.

TakaraTomy rendersDragotron's first toy obsolete on his very first appearance.

Judora takes advantage of the confusion for once, stealing the disc from Benkei. Isami gives up immediately, but Benkei refuses to quit, telling Judora that peace can't be protected by giving up so easily. Inspired by Benkei's words, Isami single-handedly attacks Judora and retrieves the legendisc. He orders the Samurai Team to combine intoGoKenzan, who dispatches the giant Gaidora and then attacks the Predacons directly, resulting in the Samurai Team being returned to the present. Isami swears he won't give up. In the past, Benkei cries because he has lost his master, and is approached bya mysterious figure. Finally, back in the present again, Judora and Gaidora argue about losing the disc again until they are interrupted by an explosion. A fully-revived Dragotron reveals himself, upgrading his body to Guren Dragotron form. He swears that this time he'll crush the Swordbots and rule the world for sure!

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

• There are a few changes at the opening sequences' lyrics: "TRANSFORMER-GO!" is changed into "TRANSFORMERS-GO!".

Continuity notes

• Previous episodes have depicted Dragotron with acharacter model based on his Voyager class toy. Beginning with this episode, however, he is given a new character model based on the much larger Guren Dragotron toy. And before powering up into his Guren Dragotron color scheme after awakening, his body sports a deco based on that of thePrimeBeast Hunters Beast FirePredaking figure, making this arepurposing of the Beast Fire Predaking toy into representing a pre-Guren Dragotron.

Real-world references

• Continuing in the tradition of the first few episodes, theYokohama Bay Bridge is featured as a landmark.
• LikewiseMusashibō Benkei andUshiwakamaru are real historical figures.

Home video releases

DVD

2013 —TV-Kun, December 2013 issue — Japanese audio only.